
Fire in India's Hyderabad kills at least 17 people
HYDERABAD: At least 17 people died when a fire broke out due to a short circuit in a building in the Indian city of Hyderabad on Sunday, officials said.
The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors of the building located in Hyderabad and about a dozen firefighting vehicles were involved in the operation, the Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department said in a statement.
Indian hotel fires kills 15
India's Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, who visited the site, told local media that a preliminary inquiry indicated a short circuit may have led to the fire.
The 17 dead included six children aged under 5 years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Khawaja Asif declares Simla agreement a 'dead document'
Listen to article Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has declared the 1972 Simla Agreement 'dead' in the current geopolitical context, stating that Pakistan has effectively returned to the 1948 position regarding Kashmir, and the Line of Control (LoC) should now be viewed as a ceasefire line. In an interview with a private television channel on Wednesday, the minister said that while the Simla Agreement had initially committed both India and Pakistan to resolving disputes bilaterally, that framework had collapsed due to unilateral Indian actions in recent years. 'The Simla Agreement is now a dead document. We are back to the 1948 position, when the United Nations declared the LoC a ceasefire line following the ceasefire and resolutions,' he said, referring to the UN-mediated cessation of hostilities in the first India-Pakistan war. 'Going forward, these disputes will be dealt with multilaterally or internationally.' He also cast doubt over the status of other bilateral arrangements, stating that "whether the Indus Waters Treaty is suspended or not, Simla is already over." Commenting on regional tensions, Asif said the threat of war with India remains present. 'Pakistan does not desire war, but if it is imposed on us, the response will be even stronger than before,' he warned. The minister touched upon post-conflict developments, stating that Pakistan had emerged as a strengthened defensive power after its past wars with India. "We have become a defensive force. Orders for our JF-17 Thunder fighter jets are coming in," he said, highlighting Pakistan's growing defence capabilities. Also Read: 'Ready but not desperate' for talks with India: Dar On the issue of Afghan refugees, Asif reiterated that Afghans should now return to their homeland. 'Afghans must settle in their own country. They have no loyalty to our soil,' he remarked, adding that the time had come to address this issue firmly. The defence minister also highlighted the issue of tax evasion in the country, stressing that billions of rupees are lost to tax theft annually. 'We must plug this leakage and divert these funds towards national defence,' he concluded.


Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Military notes; Indo-Pak conflict: deterrence, pre-battle manoeuvres
The writer is a retired major general and has an interest in International Relations and Political Sociology. He can be reached at tayyarinam@ and tweets @20_Inam Listen to article We continue to discuss various aspects of the recent Indo-Pakistan military standoff. Third, deterrence per se. More than a billion lives escaped Modi's madness in a closer than ever nuclear Armageddon. Besides the conventional side of warfare, the more dangerous 'nuclear parity' still overhangs South Asia perilously. With deterrence in 'conventional terms re-established', one hopes India under Modi would avoid another wasteful adventure of humiliation, and resume talks over the table, rather than in the skies and through brinkmanship. The future India-Pakistan conflict scene will no longer be unilateral. It will be dictated and decided by Sino-Pak military alliance especially in collaboration with China's Western Theater Command. And this would augment deterrence for rational players on the Indian side, if any. Pakistan's Military, in South Asia's modern history, showcased the most integrated defensive strategy and real-time coordination. And just to reiterate, in military literature, a weaker side is supposed to have won an asymmetrical contest, if it denies outright victory or the attainment of war's aims and objectives to the stronger side, which Pakistan did to a larger India. So perceptually speaking, deterrence in the Indo-Pakistan context would, henceforth, be defined by the conventional military capabilities plus nuclear arms, and the fragility of psychological threshold on both sides, as discussed in my piece, 'India, Pakistan — redefining deterrence', printed in this space on May 22, 2025. And in Pakistan's context, deterrence would remain to be fortified by the Sino-Pakistani alliance, and the resolve of Pakistan's civil and military leadership, through Islamabad's 'quid-pro-quo Plus' strategy, to never let India prevail. So, peace, the perusal of which now squarely lies with a mellowed but bellicose India that still pursues its intended water wars, would remain elusive if we do not recognise each other's capabilities, and do not engage each other with dignity, mutual respect and patience, and not with ignorance or arrogance. Fourth. The Exterior Manoeuvre. Without going into the nuts and bolts of the diplomatic war, the Indian efforts to paint Pakistan into endemically bad light and as a state sponsor of terrorism, had very few takers, regionally and internationally. Indian diplomatic overtures focused on painting itself taller by telling the world its military response was calculated and non-escalatory and that this 'new India' would respond muscularly to the so-called terrorist attacks, without wanting a wider war with Pakistan and its people. Essentially contradictory iterations. No country condemned Pakistan for the 'alleged' terrorism; none appreciated India's 'carefully calibrated' military response. The world, contrarily, was preoccupied with the IAF's French Rafael jets being shot down by PAF's Chinese J-10C fighters using PL-15 E air-to-air missiles. Even the US after some initial ambivalence from VP Vance had to forcefully intervene to affect a ceasefire, without giving India the blank cheque of unilateralism and brinkmanship. Russia, India's traditional friend, withheld the 'expected' diplomatic support for India. And Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and the entire OIC, the UN all called for restraint and then ceasefire. Major capitals responded with studied neutrality despite India sending seven diplomatic delegations to 32 countries. Beijing's signalling and posturing in support of Pakistan were overtly clear. Washington's ceasefire appeal re-hyphenated the two nuclear neighbours, to India's great chagrin. New Delhi even refused to acknowledge any US role, for which Trump had publicly taken credit. The paradox of Indian 'Exterior Manoeuvre' was laid bare, as to why was it accepting a ceasefire, irrespective of whether it was reached bilaterally (as India claimed) or under US interlocution (as Trump tweeted), if it had an upper hand militarily. During the conduct of operations, fiasco after fiasco derided New Delhi's aspirations and outsized ego. From denial to acknowledging downing of planes including Rafaeles, to persistent lies on the state and social media, greatly diminished India's shine, sheen and diplomatic weight. New Delhi's comical effort to influence the World Bank under its Indian-origin president, Mr Ajay Banga, from sanctioning loan to Islamabad failed spectacularly. The extent of India's hostility towards Pakistan permeated not only its body politics, but also its cultural elite (read Bollywood), its state behaviour; and resulted in a compulsive obsession with Pakistan, whom India's intellectual wizards proudly claim to have pushed into irrelevant ignominy. This paradox - Pakistan's irrelevance and Islamabad being an uncomfortable reality - remains unresolved and has been damaging India's 'perceived' important power aspiration and status, without pundits realising it. Fifth, The Inner Front. India whipped up its jingoist anti-Pakistan narrative in order to jell its inner front, silencing opposition, muzzling rationality and suppressing truth in the process. And it failed. The Modi Government had to launch Operation "Tiranga Yatra (tricolour journey)" for intense domestic messaging, to manipulate outcomes during Operation Sindoor. From annihilating Pakistan to dominating South Asia as the new hegemon, its efforts, however, could not convince most of its 200 million Muslims, who constitute 10.9 per cent of its population, is the world's 3rd largest Muslim population, and the largest Muslim-minority globally. Its illegally occupied Kashmir, the expected battle zone, simmers with hate, discontent and a resurgent anti-India sentiment, making operations and rear-area security a nightmare for the Indian Military. Assam, Christian Mizoram, Nagaland, the Naxalite insurgency in the 'Red Corridor', Khalistan Movement in Punjab and abroad, and other insurgencies drive wedges in the India Union. Even the Brahman-dominated decision-making elite had and have reservations on the direction secular India has taken under Hindutva-laced Modi Sarkar. Indian security sector and armed forces saw removals, arrests and demotions during the stand-off; and its population is still experiencing arrests for supporting Pakistan, as per press reports. By comparison, Pakistan's inner front jelled like it always does in a crisis with India. RAW-financed terrorism in KP and Balochistan, and the expected political uprising by some political forces against the armed forces, in hilarious formulation of Indian intelligence, failed and failed miserably. Pakistan's national will, determination, resolve and motivation across the political spectrum and across the nation was tougher and firm. Pakistan's 'relative' demographic homogeneity compared to India's heterogeneity is always an asset and a force-multiplier. Such demographic truism also permeates Pakistan's armed forces, making it a formidable fighting machine. Continues...


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Internet reacts as Bilawal calls Modi ‘Temu version' of Netanyahu
Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called Indian Prime Minister the 'Temu version' of his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, and the internet is flooded with memes, praising Bilawal's wit and his ability to represent Pakistan at the biggest of forums. Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Bilawal said, 'Mr Modi is sort of the Temu version of Netanyahu, so it's a poor copy, and we call the Indian government to not be inspired by the worst example possible.' During a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on June 3, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "Temu version of Netanyahu" and a "poor copy" of the Israeli leader. The remark was… — The Express Tribune (@etribune) June 4, 2025 The comment — combining political criticism with a reference to the low-cost Chinese online retailer Temu — quickly went viral on social media platforms, particularly on X, where users flooded timelines with memes and commentary. An absolutely appropriate description of Moodi and the delusional Indians. There is no limit to their Bollywood delusional psychosis. Absolute cheap stuff. — Sarmad Masud (@SarmadDr) June 4, 2025 Many social media users in Pakistan hailed Bilawal's remarks as sharp and effective, viewing them as a reflection of his ability to represent Pakistan at high-level international forums. Another user called the comparison 'an appropriate description' of Modi and his supporters, accusing them of 'Bollywood-style delusional thinking.' Bro went from butcher of Gujrat to temu version of netanyahu🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭 Bro drops bangers only on modi — Abdullah Usmani (@Abdulla81278368) June 4, 2025 One user posted, 'Bro went from 'butcher of Gujarat' to Temu version of Netanyahu… Bro drops bangers only on Modi,' referencing Bilawal's previous UN address in which he criticised Modi and called him the PM of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 'Osama Bin Laden is dead but the butcher of Gujrat lives and he's the Prime Minister of India' — Bilawal Bhutto WHAT A LINE, WHAT A LEGEND. — miral (@kooslluver) May 11, 2025 Another user exhoed the same, wrote, 'Bilawal Bhutto roasted PM Narendra Modi at the world stage — first 'butcher of Gujarat', now a 'cheap copy of Netanyahu'.' Bilawal Bhutto roasted pm narendar modi at world stage two time first butcher of Gujrat now cheap copy of netanyahu, temu version 😂😂 — Taimoor Baig (@TaimurPharm) June 4, 2025 Reactions also included pointed political commentary as a user posted, 'Seeing Indian Hindu Nazi extremists online support war, genocide, and occupation is disturbing. Backing violence and oppression isn't patriotism — it's complicity.' Bilawal should always represent pakistan on foreign forums. He is a well-spoken man. The only thing i like about ppp. — Seemab Idrees (@seemab_idrees) June 4, 2025 Several users also took the opportunity to praise Bilawal's public speaking and diplomatic skills. 'Bilawal should always represent Pakistan on foreign forums. He is a well-spoken man — the only thing I like about PPP,' said one user. WOWW temu poor copy well said Excellent evaluation — WitchDoctor Roots (@WitchDocto12587) June 4, 2025 Another user referred to him as 'the son of a brave woman,' alluding to his late mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Seeing Indian hindus nazi extreemists online support war, genocide, and occupation is disturbing. Backing violence and oppression isn't patriotism—it's complicity. Humanity must come before hate. Justice before nationalism. Always. — Aijaz Narejo (@AyjazNarej49243) June 4, 2025 The viral moment also spurred jokes aimed at Temu itself. One user commented, 'Temu is going to shut down all its business after being compared with Modi and Netanyahu,' while another quipped, 'Meanwhile, Temu: crying in the corner.' Is this the way to address the PM? and they expect us for dialogue — Srinivas (@sreenislg) June 4, 2025 A few, however, also criticised the comparison. An Indian user, Srinivasan, remarked, 'Is this the way to address the PM? And they expect us to come for dialogue.' While the remarks stirred humour and debate online, they also highlighted the continuing tensions in regional rhetoric between Pakistan and India, as well as the role social media plays in amplifying diplomatic discourse.